The scene of The Miami Showband Massacre

The Miami Showband killings (also called the Miami Showband Massacre) was a paramilitary attack at Buskhill, County Down, Northern Ireland, in the early morning of 31 July 1975. It left five people dead at the hands of Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) gunmen, including three members of The Miami Showband. The band, one of Ireland’s most popular cabaret bands, had been travelling home to Dublin after a performance in The Castle Ballroom in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland.
The band’s minibus was stopped at a bogus military checkpoint seven miles (11 km) north of Newry. Gunmen, dressed in British Army uniforms, ordered them out of their van and to line-up by the roadside. Although at least four of the gunmen were members of the British Army’s Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), all were members of the UVF, a loyalist paramilitary group. While two of the gunmen were hiding a time bomb on the minibus, it exploded prematurely and killed them. The remaining gunmen opened fire on the band members, killing three and wounding two. Two UDR soldiers and one former soldier were found guilty of murder and received life sentences; they were released in 1998. Read more on Wikipedia.

Directions: Scroll left and place your mouse cursor across the main road in the side road, Buskhill Rd. A circle will appear beside your mouse cursor. Click on it. The map will zoom to the junction where Buskhill Rd meets the old A1 road. Scroll right. On the left of the old A1 you will see a patch of tarmac. This is where the Miami truck was pulled over. Best viewed in full screen mode.

Also On 31st July 1975

James Riddle (Jimmy) Hoffa, one of the most influential American labor leaders of the 20th century, disappears in Detroit, Michigan, never to be heard from again. Though he is popularly believed to have been the victim of a Mafia hit, conclusive evidence was never found, and Hoffa’s death remains shrouded in mystery to this day. A Hollywood movie starred Jack Nicholson. (IMDB)